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Community Governance Review

Introduction

Community governance is the way in which local communities are represented and governed at a local level. Swale Borough Council is reviewing the community governance arrangements across the Borough. This review will focus on the unparished areas of Swale, the arrangements for the existing parish councils that border the unparished areas of Swale and will also respond to any requests from existing town or parish councils who ask for their arrangements to be reviewed. We would like to know your opinion on current arrangements or if you would like to change them. This is known as a Community Governance Review. Over the next 12 months, we will be consulting with

Residents Businesses Community Groups Voluntary Organisations other Public Services

Parish councils play an important role in terms of community empowerment at the local level. Where no parish exists, we have an obligation to give these areas the opportunity to consider other forms of community governance. These might include other arrangements for community representation or community engagement in an area, such as:

Area committees Neighbourhood management programmes Tenant management organisations Residents and tenants associations or Community associations
Aim of the review

To consider and bring about improved community engagement To improve local democracy and Ensure that electors and other interested groups have a say
in how local services are delivered
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Borough wards have recently been agreed by Kent the Boundary Commission County which will be implemented Council in 2015. Now is a good time to engage communities and Swale Borough Council parish councils to review parish boundaries, their Parish Council electoral arrangements and Town Council community governance more Other Community Governance widely. It also offers a chance to put in place strong, clearly dened boundaries for parishes, taking account of new borough wards. The Terms of Reference agreed on 19 June 2013 set out how the review will be undertaken. We now have one year from that date to complete the review and consult with those who may be affected. Guidance on community governance reviews can be found at www.swale.gov.uk/CGR The table below shows the areas most likely to be affected: Sheerness Halfway Iwade Kemsley Milton Regis The Meads Murston Homewood Chalkwell Roman Woodstock

We are also keen to hear of any views on other areas.

How will it affect you?

If you live in an area of the Borough which is currently unparished, a new parish might be created or one of the existing parishes may expand to include the area in which you live. If you live in an area which is already parished, the parish council may change in size, there may be some changes to its boundaries or no change at all.
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How long?

We will complete the review by June 2014. There will be a period of consultation in which comments and proposals may be submitted. This will run from 1 August to 1 October 2013. Draft proposals will then be published for consultation early in 2014.

What are the current arrangements?

Kent County Council is the county council that governs Kent, excluding Medway Unitary Authority area. Swale Borough Council provides the main services for the Borough, and its role and obligations will not change whatever the outcome of this review. Below the level of the Borough Council, there are currently a number of forms of community governance, and these vary across the area. There are 35 parish councils in existence across the borough and two town councils in Faversham and Queenborough. There are no parish or town councils covering the areas of Sheerness and Sittingbourne.

Sheerness Clocktower

Bargeman Sittingbourne

A new parish or town council could provide extra services, the cost of which would depend on the range and level of services it decided to provide. Although the Borough Council would set up any new town or parish council, the town or parish council itself would then be responsible for meeting all its expenditure, including the cost of premises, stafng and providing services. Town and parish councils are funded through a charge added to your council tax. This is known as a precept. The amount of this is something that the town or parish council has to decide for itself and depends on what services and facilities it wants to provide. The precept cannot be capped like the council tax charged by the Borough Council (capping is when the government places a limit on the amount that can be charged or
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by how much it can be increased). As the precept depends on the size of the town or parish council, the services it provides and the number of properties across which it is spread, it is not possible to say how much a precept would be for an area which does not currently have a town or parish council. However, we have set out below are some examples for existing parish councils in Swale. Additional charge (over and above the charge for areas without a parish or town council) on council tax for band D properties for the nancial year 2013/14

Hartlip 13.55 Queenborough Town Council 62.94

SportsCentrePlanning CommunityGovernance BusStops

SportsHall FootballPitch

The whole of the borough is represented by local engagement forums. They discuss issues affecting their area and inuence where the resources of the council and its partner organisations (e.g. police, re and rescue service) are targeted.
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Local Neighbourhood

Localism

Empowerment

Community

SwimmingPool

CommunityHall TownCouncilSkatePark EnableActiveInvolvement ParishCouncil CoastalPark

The word cloud below, illustrates some of services parish or town councils provide:

PlayAreas

Community Governance Review

A number of areas have active community groups, residents and tenants associations or area panels. They provide a collective voice for people who live in the same area, or who have the same landlord. They come together to improve the services received and the local environment on their door step. They help to build a sense of community.

What are the possibilities?

We are offering you the chance to have a view on arrangements for your local area; we are giving communities a voice on whether they recommend any changes or no changes. We have set out some of the common forms of community governance, with a brief explanation of how they can work. There can be a combination of these in an area at the same time.

Town and parish councils

Town, parish and community councils are the same in terms of their powers and responsibilities, but a town council also elects a town mayor. They are democratically-elected bodies that have powers to do a number of things, including:

providing allotments, providing bus shelters, supporting local crime

prevention initiatives and

local highway matters such

as street lighting and maintenance of roadside verges. They can be involved in:

provision of community
transport schemes,

sport and recreation

facilities, and

tourism.
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They can provide a focus for representing local issues and identity, and are also consulted on planning applications in their area.

Local engagement forums

Swale Borough Council currently operates a system of local engagement forums. There are three local engagement forums covering the borough and each one is made up of councillors for that area, along with representatives of community organisations and sometimes businesses and faith groups. The local engagement forums discuss issues affecting their area and, with support of ofcers from partner organisations (e.g police, re and rescue service etc), inuence where the resources of the council and those organisations are targeted. They also identify how additional, cost-effective benets can be achieved by the services and local community working together.

Area committees

Some councils operate systems of area committees. These may be given authority to exercise some of a councils powers. They are made up of the councillors representing the local area covered by the committee, and they may have other representatives on them. They could be a member of a parish council in an area where one operates, or a member of a residents association or community or voluntary group. Swale Borough Council does not operate any area committees.

Residents/tenants associations

Residents or tenants associations or management committees are usually organised to cover specic estates or buildings and will tend to concentrate mainly on issues affecting their members in that area or building. There are a number of active associations across the borough of Swale. They are independent from the council but may work in partnership with it or other agencies such as AmicusHorizon. They do not have powers to raise money through a precept or the council tax.
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For example, AmicusHorizon have Area Panels specically in relation to housing, which is different from the general type of area forums explained above. They are the principal vehicle through which their residents have an opportunity to inuence AmicusHorizon. They set local priorities, make decisions, monitor local service delivery, make recommendations and resolve issues at a local level.

Area, community or neighbourhood forums

These are sometimes set up and run by local authorities to give communities a say on local issues. They differ from the councils current system of local engagement forums because they consist of people working or living in an area but not the councillors elected for the area. The local engagement forum arrangements go much further by involving both community representatives and councillors, and having a direct input into the operation and strategic planning of the council and other public services.

Community associations

Community associations are set up locally by members of a community. They usually have a democratically elected management committee and they may include local councillors. They can inuence the way local authorities and other organisations provide services in their area. They usually cover either a specic geographical area or a particular interest such as a sport or hobby. They do not have powers to raise money through a precept or the council tax, are often run by volunteers, and may be set up as a charity.

Sheerness Seafront 8

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Have your say!

Wherever you live in the borough of Swale, we want to know what you think about community governance in your area. We are holding public meetings on the following days:

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Swale Rural Forum

Monday 2 September 2013

Sittingbourne Local Engagement Forum

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Faversham Local Engagement Forum

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Sheppey Local Engagement Forum Further details of meetings such as location and time will be updated at www.swale.gov.uk/CGR If you live in an area that is not parished, we particularly want to know what you think about the idea of a town or parish council for your area. Even if you live outside these areas, we still want to hear your views on existing arrangements in your area. There is further information about the community governance review on the councils website including the answers to a number of frequently asked questions.

What happens next?

We will consider all the responses we receive to this consultation and make a decision what to do next based on those responses. This will involve setting out draft proposals for future community governance arrangements, and then carrying out further consultation on those proposals.

Community Governance Review

How to respond

Follow us on Twitter and tweet what you think @SwaleCouncil Like us on Facebook, search for Swale-Council and comment. Call 01795 417 456 (Policy) or 417 330 (Democratic Services) or email cgrconsultation@swale.gov.uk You can complete the on-line form on the website at www.swale. gov.uk/CGR and click the CGR Survey button. You can let us know your views by lling in the form inside the back cover, cutting it out, folding it as instructed and posting by Freepost to Swale Borough Council. The deadline for comments is 1 October 2013. Please remember to include your name and address when you contact us, and the area your comments relate to as this will help us in responding to enquiries and analysing responses. We need your comments by 1 October 2013.

Milton Regis Court Hall 10

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Community Governance review submission form

Your details
Name: Organisation: Address:

Email:

Phone:

Your submission
Which of the following electoral areas does this relate to? (Select any that apply) If other, please specify Sheerness Kemsley Halfway Iwade Murston The Meads Woodstock Homewood Roman Other Milton Regis Chalkwell

Please cut out and return by Freepost (see instructions overleaf)

Are you happy with the current community governance arrangements in your area?

Yes No

Do you think there should be a parish or town council in your Yes area in addition to the borough council? No Any comments or suggestions.

Can you think of anything negative or positive that could happen as a result of suggestions you have made? If yes, please give details:

Yes No

Please ensure your comments are only made on the specic points being reviewed in the leaet. Results will be published once the consultation has nished. No individual will be identied in the report and all data will be held in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1988. 11

Fold Three and tuck in

BUSINESS REPLY SERVICE License No SX20

Policy Team Swale Borough Council Swale House East Street Sittingbourne Kent ME10 3BR

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